Fed-Funded Study Finds Increase In Medical Marijuana Patient Enrollments, Chronic Pain Most Common Reason

The state-legal medical marijuana programs nationwide have seen an uptick in the number of new patients enrolled since 2020, according to newly published federal research in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study, conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the University of Michigan, showed that there were 4.1 million registered medical cannabis patients in 2022 countrywide, compared to 3.1 million in 2020. That's a 33.3% increase over two years.

Researchers proposed that the increase is simultaneous with "increasing cultural acceptance of cannabis, recognition of the harm of the ‘war on drugs' (for example, mass incarceration and related consequences, such as family separation, trauma, and economic loss), and interest in the potential therapeutic properties of cannabis," reported Marijuana Moment.

This and other scientific breakthroughs in the cannabis space will undoubtedly be discussed at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference In Florida on April 16 and 17.

See also: Huge Study Reveals Cannabis Provides Similar Pain Relief Benefits As Opioids Without Negative Consequences

The Study

Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the study also revealed that in 13 of 15 jurisdictions with nonmedical recreational cannabis laws, the number of medical marijuana patients enrolled dropped over the same period.

For the study, the researchers used data from 39 U.S. jurisdictions with legal medical marijuana, including 34 that reported patient numbers, 19 reporting patient-reported qualifying conditions, and 29 reporting authorizing clinician numbers.

The researchers also found that the majority of those surveyed (48.4%) reported chronic pain as the most common patient-reported qualifying condition in 2022. Anxiety (14.2%) came in second, followed by post-traumatic stress disorder (13 %).

In 2022, the number of authorized clinicians totaled 29 500 or 7.7 per 1000 patients, out of which over half were physicians.

Interestingly, the study also found that cannabis use for "conditions or symptoms without a strong evidence basis," is also on the rise.

"Given these trends, more research is needed to better understand the risks and benefits of medical cannabis," the researchers concluded, as federal rescheduling of marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act is looming.

Now read: Cannabis Effective For Chronic Pain, Substituting Opioids: Johns Hopkins & Univ. Of Michigan Study Confirms

Study Reveals What Older Patients Are Using Cannabis For

Meanwhile, the latest findings come on the heels of a separate state from medical cannabis giant Tilray Brands, Inc. TLRY which found that older patients comprise a growing subset of medical marijuana patients.

That study found that patients with chronic pain (27.8%), arthritis (14.9%) and anxiety (9%) were the most numerous among those seeking cannabis to treat their primary illnesses.

Pain was the most common primary symptom for which patients use medical cannabis, followed by anxiety and insomnia/sleep disorder, according to the study.

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